The economy grew modestly in September and early October,with activity picking up in 10 of 12 districts, the Federal Reserve said in a report Wednesday.

Economic activity leveled off in the New York area and slowed in the Kansas City region.

The Fed's beige book, named for the color of its cover, was slightly more tempered than the report on the previous six-week period, which showed modest or moderate growth in nine of 12 Federal Reserve bank districts.